Reader Megan shares a great find with us — images from a NOS box of vintage Ceratile tile samples, likely from the 1960s. One look at these designs — and a (plain) pink bathroom will seem downright… boring. Here’s her story on these vintage tile samples:I found these Ceratile samples at an estate sale a few weeks ago and picked up the whole box for $1 🙂 They had some NOS tile too, but it was just plain white. I love the Mardi Gras pattern the most. The Carnival photo didn’t come out very well but the grey strips are smudgy, almost like charcoal streaks, on the actual tile. So pretty! The solid color tiles & the pink swirly one were in the box too, but don’t have any markings on the back. I did a little research on the company but all I could come up with was an old catalog offered for sale at tileheritage.org. Master Tile Company is also out of business. I don’t know how old these are, but the people at the estate sale estimated early 60s because that was when the homeowner redid his bathroom. I also showed them to the designers in my office and they speculate these would have been “high-end” finishes for the time (and may be at least partially hand painted). Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for sharing, Megan — what a delicious find.
To view slide show, click on the first thumbnail, and move forward or back via the arrows below each image.
katybug says
Like Samantha, I have a 1955 bathroom in the swirly tile, but rust instead of pink. I agree with you, Pam–a little goes a long way! An entire bathroom of swirly tile is overpowering.
Vintigchik says
How can you pick a fav? I love them all!!
Mstark says
Also dwell I’d making some nice patterNed tiles now and though not this cool they at at least more interesting than plain field tiles.
midmodms says
I kept thinking I’d found my favorite, until I saw the next picture. No favorites, I can’t choose!
Connie says
Love, love, love Snow Flake! And Harlequin comes in a close second. Why don’t they make cool stuff like this any more??
Its just so depressing going into a tile store and seeing beige as far as the eye can see. How is it people have become so conservative in their tastes when we used to buy stuff like this? Sigh. Its enough to make this little (former) art school girl cry. At least funky wallpaper is coming back in style.
Samantha Coplen says
Wow!!! I am so happy you posted this because it solves a mystery for me! My house was built in 1955 and has two bathrooms with the pink swirly tile like the one in the sample pictured here. Our bathrooms will probably get an overhaul in a year or so because of bad plumbing and I hope I can salvage my pink swirly tiles.